MasukAva's photograph sat on my desk.Face down.I couldn't look at it anymore.Not because it was graphic.It wasn't.It was worse.It showed Ava alive.Standing outside the old rink.Looking over her shoulder.Like she knew someone was watching her.Like she was afraid.My stomach twisted.Because whoever took that picture had been there that night.Watching.Waiting.Knowing.A knock sounded at my door.I jumped.My heart nearly exploded.Then Kane's voice came through the wood."Lena."Relief flooded me.I unlocked the door immediately.Kane entered first.Rowan right behind him.Both looked serious.Very serious.The moment Rowan saw the photograph on my desk, his face hardened."That's her."I nodded.My throat suddenly felt tight.Neither man touched the photo.Neither wanted to.Because somehow the image felt wrong.Like it carried something poisonous.Something dangerous.Kane carefully picked up the note.The one left behind.The one with the message.His eyes scanned it again.T
KaneThe phone slipped from my hand.Not completely.Just enough to nearly fall.My pulse hammered violently inside my chest.No.No way.The screen remained lit between Rowan and me.The message stared back.Cold.Simple.Terrifying.The person who killed Ava Morgan is still alive.Neither of us spoke.For several seconds, the world seemed frozen.The cemetery disappeared.The wind disappeared.Everything disappeared.Only those words remained.Then Rowan grabbed the phone.His jaw tightened.His eyes scanned the screen again.And again.Like the message might somehow change.It didn't.The words remained exactly the same.No.Rowan looked up."Who sent this?"I shook my head."Unknown number."The answer sounded useless.Because it was.The sender had hidden their identity.Whoever sent it knew what they were doing.My stomach tightened.Wrong.Very wrong.The phone vibrated again.Both of us jumped.Another message.Neither of us wanted to open it.Neither of us could stop ourselve
RowanTwo Months LaterThe cemetery was quiet.Too quiet.The kind of quiet that made a person think.The kind that forced memories to surface whether you wanted them or not.I stood in front of Ava's grave with my hands buried inside my jacket pockets.The morning air felt cool against my skin.A gentle breeze moved through the rows of headstones.Somewhere nearby, birds chirped.Life is moving forward.Life refuses to stop.Even after everything.My eyes settled on the name engraved into the stone.AVA MORGANSimple.Permanent.Real.For years I had searched for answers.For years I had chased ghosts.For years I had carried anger like a second heartbeat.Now the truth was finally out.The lies had been exposed.The guilty had been arrested.The investigation had cleared my name.Everything I wanted had happened.So why did I still feel empty?I exhaled slowly."I figured it would feel different."The words disappeared into the wind.No answer came back.Of course not.Ava had alway
LenaThree Weeks LaterThe silence felt strange.For years, Ravens University had thrived on rumors.Secrets.Scandals.Whispers in hallways.Now—Everyone knew the truth.Or at least part of it.The old rink was gone.Demolished completely after the collapse.Nothing remained except caution tape and memories.Some people called it tragic.Others called it justice.I wasn't sure what to call it.I stood outside the administration building and watched students cross campus.Classes had resumed.Life had resumed.But something had changed.People looked lighter.Like a storm had finally passed.My phone vibrated.A message from Kane.Outside your dorm. Hurry.I smiled despite myself.Some things never changed.I started walking.The morning sun warmed my face.For the first time in months—I wasn't afraid.Not of hidden cameras.Not lies.Not of another body being discovered.Not of the truth.The truth was finally out.Coach Hale had been arrested.The university board had resigned.Se
Lena"Evan!"Rowan's scream echoed through the collapsing arena.Then—Silence.The kind of silence that only comes after something terrible.Something final.My heart stopped.No.No.The world seemed to freeze for a fraction of a second.Even the groaning of the rink felt distant.Muted.Unreal.I stared upward through clouds of dust.Toward the broken catwalk hanging over the arena.Toward Rowan.Toward the empty space where Evan had been seconds ago.And suddenly—A massive crash exploded below.Metal.Concrete.Steel.Everything is collapsing together.People screamed.Officers shouted.Dust erupted upward like a storm.The entire arena shook beneath our feet.My pulse hammered painfully.Please.Please.Please.Claire ran forward immediately."Move!"Several officers followed her.Flashlights cut through the dust.Searching.Desperately searching.Cross didn't move.Not at first.He simply stared.His face was pale.His eyes fixed on the destruction below.Like he already knew.
RowanThe catwalk snapped beneath us.A deafening crack exploded through the arena.Metal screamed.The floor vanished.And suddenly—I was falling.Instinct took over.My hands shot forward.My fingers caught a steel support beam.Pain exploded through my arms.Below me—Three stories down—Broken concrete and twisted metal waited.One slip.One mistake.And I was dead.The catwalk continued collapsing around us.Chunks of steel crashed into the arena floor.Dust exploded upward.The entire rink shook violently.Somewhere above, Kane grabbed onto another support cable.I heard him curse.Then shout my name."ROWAN!"I couldn't answer.Not immediately.Every muscle in my body burned.The beam vibrated violently beneath my grip.I looked down.Big mistake.The drop seemed endless.My stomach lurched.For one terrifying second—My fingers slipped.No.Not now.Not after everything.I tightened my grip.Forced myself to breathe.Then I looked around.The world had become chaotic.Emergen







